The Argentine Ant Invasion Continues in Georgia

As you go about your day, you stop and notice you have a trail of ants in your kitchen or bathroom. The first thing you do is spray them with a household bug killer. A few days later, they are back with friends and maybe even on the other side of your home. You then notice that they are coming from the walls and maybe even from the cracks in the floor. What kind of ants are these? Where did they come from? Why are they in my walls? These are questions I receive daily. I have been working at Top Turf for over four years. My name is Troy Prescott and I am “Your Neighborhood Pest Control Expert.” Let me answer some of these questions.

If this sounds like a problem you are having, then your home is being invaded by Argentine ants. Argentine ants are about 3/16 of an inch long and dark honey brown, not black. They entered Louisiana from South America about 100 years ago and have spread throughout the southern region of the United States. They arrived in Atlanta twenty years ago through transportation of potted plants and food shipments. Argentine ants have been invading homes ever since. Although they are not a poisonous type of ant, Argentine ants are very aggressive. They can completely eliminate other types of ant colonies and other insects to use as a food source.

Argentine Ants are in your walls, because they are nesting and looking for a food source. The larger the colony, the bigger the appetite. Argentine ants will utilize just about any food source they can find. I have seen them in microwaves, dishwashers and even refrigerators. That’s not all, if they are in your walls, then they are coming from somewhere outside. Argentine ants are most commonly found outside in mulch, pine straw, under rocks, in potted plants or any place that retains moisture.

If you find the trail of Argentine ants that is terrorizing your home, that is not necessarily the end of it. One trail of Argentine ants in Georgia has measured over 350 feet long. Argentine ants are difficult to eliminate, because they consist of a over a million worker ants and hundreds of queens. They have the ability to combine with other Argentine ant colonies over the winter months to form “super colonies” that nest just about anywhere.

Controlling Argentine ants is a difficult task. It is a year round problem that requires a thorough, long-term program. This program consists of correcting Argentine ant’s living conditions or as pest control technicals like to say, “condusive conditions”.

Pest Control
21 July 2009 comment TrackBack-URI